first year foundation program

Your success as an artist depends on your success as a student. Your first year of study—the Foundation Program—supports your success through a rigorous, integrated curriculum in studio arts, liberal arts, and an orientation to art and design. This program provides an introduction to the fundamental vocabulary, concepts, and technical skills essential to succeeding in the upper-level courses.

Throughout this year you connect theory to practice by encountering the professional world. Exclusive museum and gallery tours, visits with artists and designers in their studios, and presentations and seminars that feature professionals in a variety of art and design practices combine to provide you access to the contemporary practices of art and design that is both comprehensive and intimate.

In addition to the Foundation Program, you are assigned a full-time faculty advisor and peer mentor who meet with you regularly, track your academic progress, and provide support and guidance in your refinement and selection of a major. Your peer mentor also helps you experience the campus and culture and actively integrate into the CVA community.